From The Ashes
by Daerunia
Summary: The flames of war bred bonds and ties that could not broken; it forced the hand of hatred and forgiveness. Now, with Konoha finally in a state of peace and balance, a story of the new heroes of the next generation rears its head. History truly does have a way of repeating itself.
1. You Really Think You're Worthy?

_**From the Ashes**_

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_Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto; I only own my own characters. _

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_**A/N: Hello there, and thank you for clicking on this fanfiction out of the multitudes of other ones! Before we get started, I'd like to tell you a little more about this particular story. This is a Naruto Next Generation fanfic, meaning it revolves mostly around the offspring of the familiar main cast. The pairings I have were chosen for specific reasons and I have no intentions of changing them, so please do not bash me because you don't like a pairing that I chose. You can bash me for my writing if you'd like, but that's a whole other story. **_

_**When I first began working on this fanfiction, the series was at the Five Kage Summit in the manga. I've struggled with waiting to find out what happens in the war to start this, but I've decided to move on ahead. There are a few events that are different in this fanfiction, but those are only the most recent developments such as *SPOILERS* Neji's death, Obito being revealed, Sasuke changing sides, etc. For the most part I try to keep everyone as in character and canon as possible. **_

_**Though many of the characters are children of the people we know and love, I tried not to make them too similar to their parents while still trying to retain the 'history repeats itself' aspect of Naruto. I'd love feedback as the characters are introduced~! **_

_**Without further ado (and after much rambling), I present you with Chapter One of "From the Ashes".**_

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_Chapter One:__ You Really Think You're Worthy?  
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'_Tch, missed again_!' A beat of sweat formed on the brow of the dark-haired young man, only existing for a split second as he quickly dashed it away with his forearm. Charcoal colored orbs narrowed as he squinted in the sunlight at the red-ringed, scarred target on the tree a few hundred feet away. The senbon that he had tossed with his nimble hand rested on the second ring away from the center. It was close, but for the young Yunagi Uchiha, it wasn't good enough. The ground in front of the tree that bore the victimized target was speckled with an assortment of weapons; shuriken, senbon, and even two kunai knives, which he had been advised not to use for target training. With a sigh of frustration, the male approached the tree and began reorganizing his weapons in the tan pouch attached to his left leg.

This day was particularly warm, but the breeze and light cloud cover made it bearable for training. Then again, even if the weather wasn't appropriate for working out, Yunagi would be out in it regardless, strengthening his body by assaulting the poor trees, targets, and sandbags that made up the training field. Many believed that he was training to raise his rank in the Konoha Ninja Academy in order to be placed on a better team upon graduation, which his mother insisted on reminding him, was only four weeks away. There was no concern that the hard working young man would be close to the top of his class, but the fact that he was only third grated his nerves and made the thought of any activity that wasn't studying or training seem pointless.

With a stretch and a yawn, he gave a slight hop and grabbed the lowest branch of the tree he had been battling against and swung himself up, climbing to a more stable branch. Here in the shade, he dangled his legs and extracted a canteen from his pouch, deciding to take a well deserved break. In the privacy of the shade, he pulled off his baggy, navy colored training tank-top and leaned back, absorbing the breeze as he closed his tired eyes. As usual, his thoughts immediately went to his father.

Uchiha Sasuke was not in the best condition. Yunagi had been told that his father had done something terrible and had been forgiven by the Fifth Hokage almost twenty years ago, but the act was no to be spoken of. All that Sasuke had informed his child of was that he was once a great ninja with amazing powers that didn't truly suit him, and as punishment for what he had done, his chakra had been sealed away under the notion that without any jutsu or ninja abilities, he could never harm anyone again. Yunagi had never questions his father, but he had noticed that his dad seemed to be getting up later and later ever day, and he had heard him have coughing fits on occasion.

Yunagi's dear mother had been able to use her Medical Ninjutsu on a few occasions to ease the pain in Sasuke's lungs, but the real issue was that the remaining chakra he had was waning; and he only had enough left for basic functioning. If the Sealing Jutsu was still ebbing away his life energy, then it would only be a matter of time before-…

'_Don't think like that, I can do something!'_ Yunagi's grip tightened on his canteen, and his brow furrowed as he dashed away the thought of his father wasting away. For years he had been avoided as the son of "that man," though the parents of the village respectfully acknowledged Sasuke, their children had been told that he was a bad man, and as such Yunagi had been given the cold shoulder by many of his peers. When he came home crying with bruises or gibberish retellings of the names he was called, Sasuke had always protected his son. And now the time had come for Yunagi to repay his father. Did he know how? No, but he was damn sure that becoming stronger would be the first step. With more work, he could just-…

SPLAT! Yunagi's brooding was interrupted by a very painful and a very wet smack to the face. He barked a swear word that his mother would certainly have smacked him for and tipped over backwards, barely managing to grab onto a limb to catch himself. He yanked the object away from his face, giving it an enraged glare as he determined it to be a soaked shirt. His shirt, to be exact. With a look of bewilderment, he dropped to the ground and looked around for the culprit. Quickly his eyes fell upon two familiar figures; one a tall, dark skinned male with a long brown braid; the other, a younger girl hiding half behind him, her hair done up in cute brunette pigtails. She wore a delicate little Kimono while the other bore standard training attire; a pair of black shorts and a brown t-shirt. He quickly recognized them as Heiki and Azami Hyuuga, the children of Yunagi's uncle from his mother's side. Azami, only a few days from joining the Ninja Academy, was her older brother's shadow; it wasn't a surprise that she came here to watch him train.

"Trying to fly away?" The taller of the two spoke, his voice hinting on the edges of arrogant. He crossed his arms, giving a chuckle. "You promised to train with me today, Cousin."

Yunagi ignored the first comment, wringing out his soaked shirt as he adverted his gaze away from the four lavender eyes that were watching him. He half-wanted to know how Heiki had gotten ahold of his top, but with his speed and the benefits of his Byakugan eyes (an ability that Yunagi still didn't understand, despite his mother having the same ability), he really couldn't say he was surprised that he didn't notice. Odds were Heiki nabbed it and tossed it in the lake before launching it at the poor Uchiha's face.

"I'm done for today, maybe you shouldn't show up so late, Heiki," Yunagi finally responded, giving a pout. "I didn't feel like waiting around until you felt like making an appearance, the world doesn't revolve around you."

"Well, you still seem spirited to me! Are you sure you don't want to have a little sparring match? Azami wanted me to show her how to immobilize an enemy in one strike." Heiki bore a smirk on his matured face, one that made him look downright troublesome.

"Come on, we didn't just come here to pick on him, Nii-sama!" Azami gave a bored roll of her large eyes, placing her hands on her narrow hips. This motion reminded Yunagi very much of his aunt Tenten; it was no surprise that the little female had ended up with her mother's attitude. "If he's going to be a bore, then show me how to use senbon instead! We don't have to train with him!"

While she spoke, Yunagi flicked a shuriken from his leg pouch and gave a powerful jerk of his wrist, sending flying at the band that held Heiki's high braid in place. He had no intention of hurting his cousin, but getting the best of him would be well worth the trouble!

"No so fast!" With a speed that Yunagi's eyes couldn't follow, Heiki appeared at his elbow, digging his fingertips into the joint. In the time it took Yunagi to register the dull pain and rear back to elbow the other male, Heiki was a safe distance away again, hands on his hips.

"Nice try, but unless you step it up, you won't ever touch me. Maybe one day you'll get that Sharingan, but who knows, maybe since your dad's is gone, there's no hope for your eyes. You might just be that weak forever!"

He had no response, or at least not one that was appropriate in front of Azami. Recalling his father's lecture to never let words get to him, Yunagi grabbed his wet shirt and walked past the pair, his eyes neither scanning them nor looking at the ground.

"_When you're in a corner, look at your goal, not the enemy and not at the ground. Always look forward, and you can get where you're going." _

Heiki made no chiding remarks, at least not any that Yunagi could hear. His eyes were focused on the gates of Konoha just past the training field, and that was his goal now; just to go home. Stiffly he continued on until he had passed under the gate to the village. His knees trembling, Yunagi broke his stride and ran home, trying to shove the encounter out of his mind.

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"Why would Hokage-sama summon us?!"

"Uh, come on Lee, can you really stand to call that dork Hokage-sama? Yeah, I think he's a good leader, but he hasn't started calling me Kiba-sama yet!" There was a loud bark in response to this. "Yeah, you'd be Akamaru-san, totally!"

"You won't get called Kiba-sama because you haven't earned a respectable title yet, Kiba. You are just… Kiba."

"Why don't you shove it, Shino!? I don't hear anyone calling you anything but creepy! Most folks don't even know your name!"

Sakura Haruno gave her green eyes a roll as the footsteps and voices rose in volume outside of the door to her office. What a shame, they had arrived before Naruto, meaning that she would have to keep the lot of jounin-level shinobi company until her husband decided to make his untimely appearance. She glanced towards the other person in the room; a woman wearing a full-length kimono who was glaring at her with slate colored orbs. Her hair was tied up in a neat bun, but her bangs had seemed to escape and framed her serious face, curling away from her features.

_"Sheesh, how long is she going to sit there and glare at me without saying anything? And who wears something like that in late Spring?!_" The pinkette heaved a sigh, pushing her own bangs back from her forehead. "Uh, Shibata-san, would you like a glass of water?" Sakura gave a nervous chuckle, trying to break the tension.

"No." The response was immediate, and the woman didn't even move an inch as she spoke. Sakura's hand balled into a fist, and she let out a growl of annoyance that was interrupted by the door flying open, revealing the three noisy men who had been in the hallway. One was much taller, and was wearing a full length trench coat and a pair of dark goggle-like glasses. His hair stuck out in all directions, but it seemed like he had tried to tame it somewhat. The one in the middle wore a full body green jumpsuit and bore a slightly terrible bowl cut, and on the far left was the almost handsome but messy haired man who had had been doing all of the yelling in the hallway; he sported a pair of triangular tattoos on his face. The lot was followed by a massive white hound who seemed to think himself just as much a part of the group as any of them.

"Hello, Sakura-chan!" The one with the bowl cut stated, giving a respectful bow.

"Hi…" She seemed exasperated, and was just ready for Naruto to show up and take over his duties, but it seemed that may have been a little too much to ask for; she would have to relay his message herself. She cleared her throat and came out from behind her desk, placing her hands on the hips of her lithe form. She wanted to look professional, as she always did to those who were meant to speak with the Sixth Hokage, but this lot she had known her entire life, and surely they would just giggle if she tried to be too serious. "Alright!" She gave a pleasant smile before beginning. "Kiba Inuzuka! Rock Lee! Shino Aburame, and Kubomi Shibata! You have all been called here because-…"

Shino quietly interrupted, giving an inquisitive glance around the room. "…-Because we got a letter." He noticed Kubomi, turning to her. "I didn't know you were even still alive, you're really a shut in, aren't you?"

"So where's Naruto, huh? How come we had to show if he didn't?" Kiba talked over Shino, raising a fist. "I'm gonna show him a thing or two about manners!"

"Will you just SHUT YOUR TRAP and open your EARS!" For a moment, Sakura's green eyes flashed as her volume doubled and she raised a threatening fist of her own. "I've got work to do so be quiet and listen to what I have to say, SHANNAROU!" Silence was her polite response. She cleared her throat now that she had the attention of all four shinobi and reddened a little at losing her temper, though Sakura was inwardly pleased that they were respectful enough to be quiet now. "Please listen. You four have been selected by your Hokage to participate in the training of our upcoming Ninja Academy graduates. The class will be advancing in about one month, so in that time Naruto will give you all of the information that you need to know about your new position." Sakura wasn't sure if her method of relaying the news was too blunt, but she wasn't sure how to deliver it. "Any questions?"

"Children…" Kubomi crossed her arms, grayish orbs rolling before she turned to Shino, answering his earlier question with a glare before turned her attention on Sakura once more.

Kiba gave a shout; of course, Akamaru barked merrily behind him. "What d'ya mean? Me and Akamaru are going to be trainin' some new ninja up? Yahoo! That sounds fun! Uh, but who are they?"

"I HAVE NEVER BEEN MORE EXCITED EVER! I WILL MEET MY TEAM TODAY AND BEGIN TRAINING IMMEDAITELY!" Lee's voice was much louder than the others, and it instantly gave Sakura a headache.

"Why have we been selected!?" Kubomi leaned closer to Sakura and delivered her same glare, waiting for the woman to respond.

The other buzzing shinobi immediately fell silent, looking for Sakura to answer the question. For a moment, the pink-haired woman didn't seem to know what to say. She blinked, opened her mouth, closed it, and shrugged it off with a giggle.

"Well, you four are well qualified for the job, you see. We need great leaders, this is our next generation of shinobi! This is really a great honor, you guys!"

Kubomi didn't seem pleased with this answer. "How am I am excellent leader? Most of you weren't even aware that I went to the same academy as you, and my former partners have passed so there's no way that they could have written you a reference!"

"Taiza-sama is still alive, correct?" Lee quieted down, leaning past Kiba to look over at Kubomi. She didn't return the glance, and instead responded "he's dead to _me_."

"We're just the best! Well, some of us." Kiba rolled his eyes, giving a smirk at no one in particular. Sakura was at a loss for words, and only rested one palm on her cheek, feeling an ulcer forming as she dealt with these people.

"I know why we were chosen." Shino spoke up, adjusting his glasses. Everyone fell quiet once more and looked at him, eagerly awaiting his infinite wisdom. "Kiba, do you have a girlfriend?" Kiba cocked an eyebrow, slowly shaking his head to confirm that he did not. Shino nodded. "And what about you Lee?" The question caused the man to lower his gaze at the ground and place his hands behind his back as Shino continued. "What about you Kubomi, are you housing some secret husband in your empty house?" Kubomi responded with a red-face and a huff that confirmed his hypothesis. "Don't you see? Naruto appointed us because… we are all single. He thinks that we have nothing better to do. We're being put to work because we couldn't get married. It's as simple as that. So very expected of our Hokage."

A heavy sense of disdain filled the room, one that caused Sakura to sit back down in her chair and place her head in her hands. '_Naruto, you idiot! Was this really how you went about choosing the people who will raise our kids?!_' There was nothing that she could tell them to disprove this, but on the other hand, it didn't seem right to assure them that this was a fact. "Listen, please-… I'm sure there's more to it than that. Naruto trusts you four and-… hey, where are you going?!" Incredulously, Kubomi had left the room at a fast clip, and the other three had started to follow.

"We got the message, we're going to be teachers! That's awesome, but I don't see no point sticking around to talk about it when we've got what we need to know. We've got training to do!" Kiba gave Sakura a grin and a short salute. Lee dashed past him, and could be heard shouting "I AM SO EXCITED!" as he bolted down the hallway, most likely going to seek his own former teacher and relay the news. Sakura blanched, motioning uselessly at the four massive envelopes on her desk.

"I don't know how they think they're going to get anything done without this information. This is looking like it might be a bad move on your end Naruto. I guess-… I guess I'll have to just trust your judgment…"

"I am still here, Haruno-san. I could at least be sensible and accept my paperwork, can't I?" Shino uttered, holding out a pale hand expectantly. To be honest, Sakura hadn't even noticed him still standing there.

"Oh yes, of course." She handed over the folder with his name on it. "That's top secret information, so please be careful with it, but I know you will. Also could you-…" She put back on her pleasant voice again, trying to sound as sweet as possible. "Well, I'm swamped with work right now, otherwise I would personally take these to the other three. And I definitely know I can trust you not to open anyone else's envelope, Shino. Would you-…"

"Fine, I'll take them." He grabbed the other three, scooting on out the door. "As assistant to the Hokage, maybe you should practice being a little more proactive. Because… if you don't, people might start calling you lazy."

Sakura bit her tongue and only glared at the empty door where Shino had been, but her angry façade fell with a defeated sigh. More than anything she felt stress for her child; it felt so strange letting one of these people take care of her baby and teach him to become a hardened ninja. To imagine her loving, outgoing child using weapons, hurting others-… to imagine him hurt or bleeding, or potentially dying on a mission.

Being a mother was the most difficult task she had ever been faced with.

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_**Alright, there we have it! Since there will be a lot of new characters, I don't want to introduce them all at once because that seems it would be a little much, and it would make the characters a little less special if they were all thrown in there together. I maydo a mini-bio at the end of each chapter once a character has been revealed, though~! Please let me know your thoughts or suggestions. **_


	2. They Don't Think You're A Hero

_**From the Ashes**_

_**They Don't Think You're a Hero**_

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_Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto; I only own my own characters. _

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As the young Yunagi Uchiha made his way home, he crossed paths with Kubomi Shibata, though he didn't spare her a glance in particular. He quickly strode down the sidewalk just as she crossed the dirt street, heading west, where he had been headed east. The silver eyed woman glanced down at the child, then steeled her attention ahead with no specific thoughts about him running through her mind. She was more concerned with the information that Sakura Haruno had just given her.

These two shinobi crossing paths was of no particular importance, but it was stilled witnessed by a pair of dark brown orbs. They watched from behind a white, animal featured mask common to the ANBU Stealth Force, but the owner of these eyes was much too young to be a member of the elite hunters. A hand rose and lifted the mask, pressing a button attached to the headset that the young female wore.

"Are you there, sensei?" There was a moment of silence, and then light static before a gentle male voice responded.

"I am present, Kimochi. What is your location?"

"Please use my code-name!" Though her tone was hushed, the girl bounced on the tree limb in annoyance and her short red curls bounced up with her. "You promised that you would use my code name when I was out on a mission!"

The voice on the other end sounded exasperated. "You aren't ready to be assigned a mission, and your code-name seems to have slipped my mind. I am sorry. When I asked your location, I meant for you to tell me what you are doing."

"I'm waiting for him." Her tone was serious, and she crouched lower from her position, glancing at the road again. It was all clear for the time being. "I'm ready to challenge him and see if he's truly worthy of calling himself a ninja!"

"Kimochi, you should stop following the Hokage's son. I read in a book a long time ago that when you follow someone to tease them, it means you have a crush on them. The other children your age might think the same thing. Instead, ask him to be your friend."

"Impossible, that may have worked with your generation, but it-…" She stopped as a figure began its trek down the road towards the Hokage's business building. She hung up her connection and waited. She began muttering to herself as she took in his appearance. "Black shorts, a blue tank-top, and an orange overshirt with white sleeves. Topped off with a mop of yellow hair. You don't have a very good sense of fashion, do you? Always looking the same… that makes it easier to spot you. " Giving a sly smile, she slid down from her tree and hid behind it, peering out with her binoculars at the male. His arms were behind his head as his sea-green orbs stared skyward. As usual, it seemed he was daydreaming.

Taking her chance, she snatched a small black sphere from her belt and launched it at the male, smacking him in the face with it. He cried out in shock, but there was no time to find the culprit before an eruption of red smoke filled the entire area. Kimochi let out a simple huff, launching herself over the male with a somersault and then kicking forward, nailing him in the middle of the back. It only took a second to pin him to the ground from there. To add insult to injury, she placed her knees on his back while keeping his face against the dirt with one elbow.

"Hey, HEY! WHAT'S GOING ON, HELP! SOMEONE'S ATTACKING ME!" The young boy let loose a string of pleas to his attacker, all of which she ignored.

"Jun Uzumaki-Haruno, son of the Sixth Hokage! You insult both of your parents with your ineptitude for battle. I have conquered you."

His cries stopped and were replaced with rage. "Ah, it's you! The crazy red-head from school! I thought you got kicked out!" There was a rumor that two ANBU officers had come to her class to take her away, but most thought that this was just exaggeration. Surely she wasn't so crazy that she was being detained! But now that he was being targeted, Jun thought it might be true. Tears brimmed his eyes as he imagined her with a kunai to his back, ready to assassinate him. He imagined his mother and father finding him like this; their only son, murdered! "P-please let me go, I'll do whatever you want!"

"What the hell are you two doing?" The two looked up to find two more additions to the ruckus, a young, lanky man with his hair tied up in a small, brown puff atop his head, and the massive and respectable head of the Akimichi clan, Chouji Akimichi. The latter of the two looked rather cheerful, whereas the former looked bored and annoyed, as he always did when dealing with his classmates.

"S-sushi! Help a guy out, would you? She's c-crazy!" Jun was only moments from sobbing, but he kept it together. Kyotsushika Nara was a generally cool guy, but he picked on crybabies. Jun had gotten pretty close to him by slipping him answers during tests, and he wasn't about to lose that work in progress, not even in the face of death.

"Hey, that's enough playing around. I didn't know kids your age were allowed to use smoke bombs, you have to have a license to use tools like this. I don't think Tenten would sell them to you." Chouji waved a hand at Kimochi, who blinked her brown orbs once before letting Jun up. "You're blocking the whole road. Play at the training field." Chouji walked over to Jun, picking up him easily and patting the dust off of his clothing. Jun stared up in awe and silence, and him and Kimochi both watched as he left them and entered the building.

"Staring problem?" Kyotsushika, nicknamed Sushi purely for the fact that many classmates had trouble with his long name, rolled his eyes at the two.

"S-so huge up close! He's a for-real hero, you know?" Jun let out a laugh. Sushi wasn't particularly amused by his friend's fascination.

"What are you doing with him, Nara? You aren't very special." Kimochi gave a lurid smile that was promptly ignored.

"So what? Chouji-san's nice, he talks to everyone. My dad hasn't come back from his recon mission yet, so Chouji-san is turning in some paperwork. He said I could go along to see how it works, since my clan has been so important to the intelligence command for generations. It's never too early to learn to do your future job."

"Whoah, your clan is super special, Sushi." Jun gave a giggle, brushing a bit of dirt from his hair that Chouji had missed. "Hey, are you gonna go see my dad? I can go with you if you want!"

"I don't care." Sushi rubbed the back of his head, giving a shrug. "Come on if you want, but I don't want the crazy girl with us." His honesty caused Kimochi to puff her cheeks out. She was offended, but at the same time didn't want to go anywhere with the two of them anyways.

"I don't care either, I have important business to attend to!" She masked her annoyance and gave a twirl, reaching for another smoke bomb before recalling that Chouji-sama has just scolded her for using one. It was true, the master of the most popular weapon shop didn't sell them to anyone without a license. Not even regular genin could get the kind that Kimochi was using. She decided not to use it and instead trotted off, a light skip in her step.

Jun watched her leave and turned back to Kyotsushika, who had already followed Chouji inside. He gave a start and jogged to catch up, feeling the cool air hit his sweaty, slightly bruised face like a much needed drink of water. He let out a breath of relief at being out of the heat and, with his head held high, marched across the wooden floors of the Hokage business building. This place was his second home, and he actually knew its corridors and rooms better than his own large house. Compared to Naruto's estate, this building was livelier and reflected of the great man who protected the village.

As the two approached the large door marked with the kanji for Hokage on the outside, Jun rushed past his company, bursting into the room. He threw his arms open, giving a loud hoot. "Daaaddddd!" He called, but his excitement soon wilted as he realized that only his mother was present. "Oh, Ma. Where's Dad?" Jun was happy to see his mother, but he had been looking forward to seeing his father.

"Oh, hello Jun. Chouji, it's good to see you!" Sakura stood from her desk and gave a short bow, which caused Chouji to give a jolly chuckle.

"It's just me, Sakura-chan! I guess I won't ever get used to that kind of treatment." He reached into his light coat, pulling forth two tightly bound scrolls. "Shikamaru wanted me to drop these off with the Hokage, but it looks like he's not here, huh?"

"No, you've just missed him, but I'll take them if you'd prefer." She gave her disappointed son a smile. "If you wait around for a few minutes, I'm sure he'll be back, okay?" Jun attempted to smile back but couldn't hide his disappointment as he flopped down into a chair. As Chouji and Sakura chatted back and forth, Jun found his eyes and his mind wandering around the room. He had seen everything before from this chair simply because he had spent so much time waiting around for his dad. There were the shelves lines with books that Naruto never planned on reading, stacks of paperwork that Naruto tried doing but always found to be way too boring, and there was the painstaking tidiness that meant Sakura was doing everything she could to keep everything organized. And then there were the pictures, which Jun always liked the most.

Behind his desk, on the wall above the large window overlooking the village, sat six pictures. In order, they showcased the Hokage that had led the village, and had led it well. The first two looked stern and serious; they were the brothers, Hashirama Senju and Tobirama Senju. Their power had no room for doubt, even based on their appearances. The next one wore a pleasant smile, though he looked a couple decades older than the first two during his time as Hokage; he was Hiruzen Sarutobi. Jun had always wanted to meet him; rumor had it that he was the grandfatherly type. Next was Jun's own grandfather, the young but talented Minato Namikaze. Jun had no doubt that he had inherited his grandfather's looks, he was lithe and had the same gentle expression. Next on the row of photos was the radiant Tsunade Senju, looking half her numeric age in her picture. Even now, her appearance altering jutsu was still going strong, but she didn't look as young as she did in her portrait.

Last but not least was the young, tanned face of Naruto Uzumaki, who had been Hokage for a full two years now. In his portrait he wore a goofy grin and had his fingers up in a V for victory, and that picture perfectly embodied how he led the Hidden Leaf village. The Sixth Hokage was approachable and friendly, he was quick to help the younger ninja train and deathly serious when it came to protecting his people. And, Jun noted, he was always busy, trying to do everything himself. Naruto bore too many burdens, Jun had often heard his mother say. She said a lot of things when his father wasn't around.

"Jun?" Sakura's voice interrupted his daydreaming. He blinked his sea-green orbs up at her own, cocking his head.

"Uh, yeah Ma?"

"I'm going out for lunch, I'll bring you something back, alright? Just wait here, your father's on his way." She stood up and grabbed her bag, sliding both of the scrolls that Chouji had brought into it. Jun paid this no heed, instead bobbing his head in agreement.

"I want sweet bean soup, okay?"

She gave a chuckle. "At least you eat something besides ramen all the time. Sure, I can bring you some." She paused before closing the door behind her. "Jun? I love you."

He didn't look surprised by this statement, but he was confused as to why she said it with such a stern look on her face. Regardless, he beamed at her with a wave of his hand. "Love you more, Ma!"

* * *

"Fall back, it's a poison bomb!" Naruto threw an arm out beside him, motioning for the two chuunin behind him to clear the area. One of the two, a brown haired woman, quickly leapt back and covered her mouth and eyes. The other, a man with a bandana over long black hair, simply covered his mouth with one sleeve and ran forward to the three shadows, a kunai gripped tightly in his hand. Naruto gritted his teeth, lunging forward and catching the man by the back of his green vest. "I said fall back, idiot!" His voice was muffled by the collar of his white Hokage coat, which he had pressed over his own mouth and nose. Even so, it burned.

_"You shouldn't have been so reckless. Since the previous Hokage have a habit of dying in battle, you shouldn't think you're invincible." _Kurama's low growl of a voice crooned from within Naruto's head, but he disregarded it. The Nine Tails had a habit of nagging him when Naruto didn't use his chakra for battle; he liked to think of it as jealousy.

"Wind Style: Clear Gale Jutsu!" The female chuunin called out, and a sharp wind swept from behind Naruto. He grabbed onto his headband to keep it from being blown off of his head and pumped a fist in the air.

"Good one, blow it right back at 'em!" He lowered his voice and shook the male's shoulder. "You, we can't let 'em get away, so try and get a perimeter around them. We don't want them to run backwards to avoid her attack, push them straight this way!" The chuunin gave a shaky nod and flashed out of sight, making his way towards the trees above where the other three had been. "They've been using the shadows and foliage to their advantage, so let's flush 'em out! Hey, that's a pretty cool Wind-style jutsu, maybe you could teach me!" The Hokage flashed a winning grin back at the female, who gave a sheepish smile in return and nodded.

"Sir, it looks like two of them are coming this way!" She pointed forwards, grabbing the short chuunin blade strapped to her back.

"Yeah, that's the plan! I was counting on three!" Sky-colored orbs narrowed at the two approaching figures, and he them slammed them shut, holding his palms out to his side. 'Just a quick boost, Kurama!' As burning chakra flowed through his veins, he forced it to his palms and felt it materialize. Almost on instinct, he created two weak Shadow Clones, which formed the chakra with their hands just before it burst from his palms. "Now!"

His eyes opened and he caught sight of both of them, now only a few feet away. Black clad, their faces covered. Their looks didn't matter much; as his double Rasengan came in contact with their bodies, they were blown back, spiraling with the force of the swirled attack. "Hey, catch 'em Bandana-man!"

"But-… sir!" The bandana clad chuunin was already back at his side, the third and final member of the attacking squad bound beside him. "I-I can't!" Naruto barely had time to glance at the man before a splintering crack echoed through the small, dense area.

"Oh man. I guess we'd better go get 'em, Windy." He beckoned for the female chuunin, who lowered her head and reddened at her new nickname. She followed behind him, scooping up one unconscious enemy after tossing the contents of their ninja pouches aside. Naruto tossed his captive over his shoulder, giving a large sigh of relief. "Phew, glad that went alright. The last thing we needed was a trio of morons running around in the village causing panic. Come on, we need to take 'em in to Ibiki-san for interrogation."

"Of course, sir. That Rasengan jutsu… it's really impressive. I learned a lot from fighting beside you." Windy followed behind him, nodding her head at Bandana-man for him to follow along, too. They made their way back to the gates, but followed Naruto as he took a different route along the outer walls of the village.

"We can't walk right through there carrying these idiots, the villagers will worry," he explained.

"Sir, I… I really want to apologize. There were two of us at that post, we should have been more alert. It was completely unforgivable that the Hokage had to get involved for our sake. If you want to remove me from the guard defense, I understand completely. But Haruka, she was nagging me to take the job more seriously, so please don't punish her-…" Bandana-man cast a guilty look over to his comrade, revealing to Naruto that her name was unfortunately not Windy.

"I didn't have to get involved, really I was just being nosy and was itching for a fight, ya know?" Naruto gave a chuckle. "Slacking is one thing, but you should have made up for your slacking by responding quickly to orders. I told you to get back when that first poison bomb hit and you charged forward. That was a risk that you didn't need to take. So if you're going to be lazy in the future, you can repent by being alert afterwards. Be ready for bad things to happen when you expect only good things. Good thing your partner Wi-… Haruka-san listens so well."

"I understand, sir. I'm sorry."

"Sir, is that-…" Haruka gave a gasp, causing the other two to halt and turn to face her. With both of her hands occupied holding the knocked out intruders, she bobbed her head towards two rapidly approaching figures. One a massive, older looking man wearing a trench coat, the other none other than Naruto's pink-haired wife, who had both hands on the bag she wore over her shoulder. The two chuunin tried to bow, but instead only wobbled a little; Haruka dropped her hostage on his head by accident.

"Naruto!" Sakura raced the rest of the distance, her green eyes lit with anger. "Is this where you've been? There is so much paperwork for you that it's almost impossible to see your desk! Shikamaru reported an attack but he said that he left two capable shinobi there to bring them in for questioning, and I just knew that you would be involved, how could I even expect any different! And Jun has been waiting to see you, but what am I supposed to tell him, that you're playing hero and stealing the jobs of our chuunin?" She ran a hand over her forehead, giving an exasperated sigh as Naruto listened to her ramble.

Ibiki Morino, head of the interrogation corps, gave the two chuunin a stern look, one that caused them both to stand up perfectly straight. Even in his late age, there was no one better suited for getting information from enemies. "You two, bring them in with me. We're going to milk them and make them regret even thinking they were strong enough to invade the Leaf." He grabbed the thin, light one that Naruto had captured, who gave a feminine groan of pain as Ibiki tossed the figure over his shoulder. "Seems they're coming around. Better hurry."

As they left, Naruto shook his head. He didn't want to argue with Sakura in front of people, but he wasn't going to give her the argument just because there were others around. "Sakura, it's not like that. I was on my way back to do my work when I could smell the smoke from the attack, they were using all kinds of bombs-…"

"I won't believe a word of it, I know you! I knew I'd have to come find you before you ran off to bother someone else!" Her tone softened. "I know you're in charge of the village, but soon the other shinobi are going to think you don't trust them. Let them do their missions, that's how a village grows. Everyone has just one part."

He gave a pout and crossed his arms. "My part is everyone's part, I can't turn a blind eye when someone needs help, that's unfair."

"Stealing the experience from young chuunin isn't fair!" She stomped her foot and closed her fist, causing Naruto to raise his arms defensively and take a step back.

"A-alright, I get it, I promise! I'll go do my paperwork!" He turned on his heel and prepared to speed off, but glanced back over his shoulder. "…Bossy billboard brow." Sticking out his tongue like a child, he fled.

She raised her voice and her fist, shouting as he dashed away. "I'LL KNOCK THE NINE TAILS OUT OF YOU IF YOU DON'T WATCH YOUR MOUTH!" Her fist faltered and she gave another sigh, but a smile snuck up on her features as she watched him leave. 'You idiot… nothing about you has ever changed. You've always got to be the hero. I just wish I could support you on that. I wish I didn't have this feeling that something bad is going to happen.' She felt a pair of tears forming in her eyes and dashed them away, scolding herself with a light chortle. "Stupid girl… you don't even know what you're crying for."

She gripped her bag, realizing that she had forgotten to show the information Chouji had brought to Naruto. 'Maybe… I should save that for another time.'

* * *

Sasuke Uchiha mildly noticed that when his eyes were open, the world was almost as dark as when they were closed. The sun helped, but once evening fell, he was as good as blind. For now was sitting at his desk in the library, he knew later on he would sit in the courtyard with Hinata and pretend to watch the sunset. In all actuality, he would only be watching his world become darker. It seemed to be all he was capable of; sitting and waiting. For what? Who knew.

He clicked on a bright lamp, running a hand through his long, raven locks. They were unkempt, no matter how often he brushed them; his son seemed to inherit this trait for wild hair. He thought of his brother, and of the man who had called himself Madara. A disgusted smirk crossed his lips, though no one was there to see it. "Even now… the darkness follows me. In a simpler way. I can't get away from it." He closed his eyes and tried to imagine being completely blind. A thud of fear echoed in his heart; it was terrifying. With his chakra sealed, his senses were dulled. Blind ninja were perfectly capable, but the fact of the matter was that he wasn't a ninja. He was a man. A dying man, judging from the weakness in his once-powerful muscles. Hinata had bloomed beautifully; she had become a leader, an exceptional kunoichi, and a strong mother. Yet she had been careful not to talk about her ninja missions around Sasuke, and she often turned them down to stay home with him. The only thing worse than feeling his strength ebb was feeling that he was guilty of stunting her own growth. He thought, not for the first time, that her marriage to him was out of pity.

She had been there when they sealed his chakra, finding his points with her Byakugan. The process took days, and it was excruciatingly painful being handled by Leaf ninja who were still not ready to accept his apology. Hinata has asked them to be more gentle, she had asked them to bring him food more often to keep his strength up, and she brought salve to ease his pain as his body slowly adjusted to being nothing. Hinata had been an exceptional person, despite what he had done. She was the first one to forgive him besides Naruto, who had been there waiting to welcome him back since the moment he had first left at the age of 14.

The sound of light footsteps echoed through the near-empty house, signifying that someone was home. Sasuke got up, stepping lightly into the hallway. His son rounded the corner, dark eyes cast downwards.

"Father." Yunagi gave a nod, his arms wrapped tightly around him. Luckily it was warm enough outside that his wet shirt had dried on the way home.

"You're looking down again." Sasuke lightly scolded, and Yunagi quickly looked up.

"I'm sorry-…"

"…-Heiki was picking on you again, I take it." Sasuke leaned on the doorframe, shaking his head as Yunagi looked down once more at his feet. Much to Sasuke's surprise, Yunagi raised his voice instantly. Yunagi was normally quiet and brooding, however this temper was not a completely new thing. He just tended to keep his emotions and worries bottled up.

"If he keeps it up, I'm going to kick his ass! All he does is spread rumors and start fights that he thinks he can win. I promise, I'll show him-…" Yunagi stopped as Sasuke clapped a hand on his shoulder.

"Or. I can just talk to Neji-sama." Dark orbs narrowed, glaring at Sasuke with a look that could have been disgust. He pushed his father's hand away, striding past him.

"That will only make things worse, Heiki knowing that I told you about it. I shouldn't have said anything. I'm sorry for snapping at you, father. I need to handle things on my own from now on," he responded coldly.

Sasuke's brown furrowed. "Yunagi. Pretty soon you're going to graduate and be put into a team. You aren't going to be able to do things on your own. Trust me, I tried that approach. What would you do if you were placed on a team with Heiki? When you say you'll handle it on your own, that means that you're going to run away, doesn't it? I've never known you to retaliate and I don't expect you to suddenly start. You will have to either confront him or endure."

"Aren't you supposed to be on my side, Father?" Yunagi glared, but the glare softened as he looked into his father's stern expression of disapproval. "I'm sorry. You're right, it's not likely that I'll confront him. I'll probably just suffer through it. Like Hokage-sama says all the time, a shinobi is one who endures. If I'm going to be a ninja I might as well start the coping process now." Yunagi marched away in a silent little whirlwind of anger that Sasuke could sense effortlessly.

"He's going to go brood some more." Sasuke tried not to smile at this; was this how his parents felt when they had to deal with him? Of course, Sasuke was well behaved around his own father, but Itachi outshining him sure had caused a rift back in those days. He tended to be stuck up and bratty from time to time, but he couldn't remember how his parents had responded. It had been so long ago...

Memories of his childhood, much like his vision, were slowly being shrouded by darkness.

* * *

_**A/N: A little action! Not much, but it will certainly pick up! I just don't want to throw all of the characters out at once. Not only that, canon characters are still very important, so I wanted to make a chapter about them. I had trouble finding a stopping point, but now we can get the ball rolling! If anyone would like for me to post mini-character bios at the end of the chapter for newly introduced characters (or info about canon characters), let me know!**_


	3. Perhaps You're Just Not Good Enough Yet

_**From the Ashes**_

_**Perhaps You're Just Not Good Enough Yet**_

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**A/N: **_Hello there, and welcome to the third chapter. In case you haven't noticed, this story develops slowly. I hate reading a rushed plot, to be honest. I'd much rather read a slow plot and have the ability to go back and read any parts I missed as opposed to reading a squished, lacking development that has no buildup. Anyways, I promise that things will start picking up from here if you find this story to be boring so far. Just keep in mind, dialogue is just as important as action. Speaking of action, it shall start picking up very soon~!_

_I'd also like to thank **NewLightOrder** for their review and feedback. You complimented one of my characters and gave me a muse to just write him like crazy! xD Perhaps if anyone feels a kinship towards a certain character, I'll do bonus chapters for them in the future. Who knows?_

Also, I've drawn three of the teams and have made redesigns for most of the canon characters. If there is on in particular you'd like to see after reading this chapter (the drawings show spoilers), PM me, comment in a review, etc.! I'll get you a link for them!~ c:  


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_Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto; I only own my own characters. _

* * *

Iruka Umino heaved a deep sigh as he arranged the dark-blue headbands on the desk behind him. Graduation day was something that he had witnessed many times, but each and every year he found himself distraught at the thought of the children he had taught moving out of his class and into the ninja world. It was a dangerous place, and although the title of genin didn't impress many people, this step up was a massive one from the comforts of classroom training. He turned back to the antsy students crowded around the first three rows of desks.

"Well, before I officially make you all genin, I wanted to talk to you first." Iruka adjusted his own headband, ignoring the collective sigh from his class. His eyebrow jumped in annoyance as he loudly cleared his throat, tapping his foot. "These headbands will make you genin, but they do not make you shinobi. A shinobi is one who endures, supports, and protects their village. Your rank does not make your special, nor does any jutsu that you may have. Your strength comes from your Will of Fire, passed down to each and every one of us. We are the Hidden Leaf's ninja, bear the name proudly!"

There was silence as fear-filled eyes stared at him. This speech always reminded them that they were shinobi now and would be expected to get along with others and actually -work-. His handsome face curved into a smile as he picked up his clipboard and grabbed the first headband on the table. "Shall we get started?"

"Hell yeah!" One student exclaimed, causing a nervous giggle to flow over the small crowd. Iruka shook his head, deciding not to scold them this once.

"You have been placed into teams because of your abilities and possible positive cooperative outcomes with the other two genin chosen. You will also be placed under a sensei who will teach you to use these skills using their own abilities. You are to treat your sensei with respect; please remember that they can remove your genin rank and send you right back to the academy, starting with year one classes again. The first name I am going to call is the top student; they've shown exceptional skill in many or all class levels. Please step forward and receive your genin ranking, Heiki Hyuuga!"

There was light applause as the male stood, his white orbs narrowing as a smirk snuck up on his face. "No surprise," he mumbled under his breath, basking in the glares and stares of awe from his classmates. He locked eyes with his cousin Yunagi, who glared right back at him. He took his headband from Iruka, tying it over his board-straight chestnut hair before standing beside Iruka, narrow chest swollen with pride at his own abilities.

"The other members of your team will be Hanashi Hatake-…" There was a scuffling of a chair as the silver-haired male jumped to his feet, fighting to get a thin contraption off of his arm. He was a couple of years older than the others, but he seemed to favor using senbon and shuriken over hand to hand training, making it hard for the others to determine if he was actually strong or not. His amber orbs blinked up at Iruka as he also received his headband.

"Thank you, sir."

Iruka gave a nod. "I know your father is proud of you, Hanashi. You'll make the Hatake name look good." This statement seemed to put the boy at ease, and he confidently faced the class. "The third and final member of this team will be Karane Morino."

"Oh yeah, I'm totally ready!" A brown haired girl burst up from her chair, pumping her fists into the air. A few of the braver children groaned, but most remained silent. Karane was the niece of the notoriously terrifying Ibiki Morino. Ibiki supposedly had a younger brother with a good bit of spunk that married a spunky wife, but none of the other kids knew whether or not this was the truth. They just knew that Karane could spread a rumor like the plague and her self-defense techniques were pretty scary, almost as scary as her uncle. "Are you ready to rock, Heiki? Hanashi?" She grabbed the hands of the two males, shaking them both at the same time as she took her headband. Heiki pulled back in offense, whereas Hanashi just let out a good-natured chuckle. She tied it carelessly around her head, leaving her short locks in complete disarray.

"That concludes the formation of this team. Your sensei may choose to name or number your teams. If we're ready to move on…" Iruka shot Karane a threatening look that clearly meant '_shut up or I'll take your headband away_.' She countered with her own blue-eyed glare, but covered her mouth to hold back giggles and faced the class again.

"Next, I'm going to call forth the hardest worker. This is based on your efforts, witnessed by all of your teachers. Come receive your headband, Yunagi Uchiha!"

Yunagi blinked his ebony orbs at Iruka for a moment, and then slowly pointed at himself. "You mean… me?"

Iruka gave an impatient wave. "Get your butt down here, don't be modest. Everyone in this school has seen you training on your own time. Congratulations, Yunagi. Those who are called first usually have the potential to be the team leader."

Yunagi took his headband, giving a breathy chuckle. "Wow, really? Thank you, Iruka-sensei. It means a lot to me." The fabric felt new in his hands; it almost seemed to be a shame to put it on against his sweating forehead.

"Next, I'm going to call Jun Uzumaki." The young blond came down and took his headband, giving Yunagi a wide eyed look. They stared at each other for a moment before giving a quick handshake. They had known each other well as very young children, but at school Yunagi tended to be a loner whereas Jun made friends easily. Seeing one another as ninja was going to be something new.

"This is it, Yunagi. We're gonna be partners from here on out. Sounds fun!" Jun beamed and the young Uchiha couldn't help but smile back.

"The last member of this formation will be Kimochi." Jun's face paled as Iruka called the final name. He slowly looked back at the class as the red haired girl came forward, wearing her most serene and pleasant smile. "Kimochi has been training with a different teacher, but she is still part of the school and was allowed to graduate with us. Congratulations!"

'_S-She tried to kill me for no reason the other day and now I have to work with her?!_' Jun seemed to be on the verge of panic as the young female gave him a polite bow.

"We will work together well, Uchiha. Hokage's son."

"Next, I'm going to call up the student who has shown the most cooperative ability and willingness to work well with others. This is one of the most important skills of a shinobi. Congratulations to Daichou Akimichi!" The class clapped as a rotund blond boy stood up with a jolly laugh, his face reddening in embarrassment. Daichou was known among the group as that one kid that was impossible to dislike. He enjoyed making friends and helping out anyone who needed it; most of the other students expected him to get an important role at graduation. "In addition to Daichou, Michino will also be a part of this team."

The brunette let out a soft sigh; Michino, unlike her older brother Daichou, was shy and strikingly pretty. With thick brown hair and large blue eyes, she was clearly the heart-throb that her mother Ino Yamanaka had been, but seemed to inherit her father's gentleness which others often mistook for her being self-centered or vain. She came forth and took her own headband, giving Daichou a worried look. He placed a hand on her head and ruffled her hair, signifying that everything was going to be fine.

"Finally-…"

"Can I take a guess?" Kyotsushika Nara raised a hand, waving it back and forth lazily. "It's going to be me, right?"

Iruka rubbed his temples, holding out the headband. "Well, of course. Ino-Shika-Cho is the most effective combination that the Hidden Leaf has ever seen, I'm sure your parents prepared you well. But you don't have to interrupt the flow of things, Sushi." Even Iruka called the lad by his fishy nickname.

"Bah, it'll probably be alright." He took his headband and tied it on before shooting a large grin up at Iruka. "Say, thanks Iruka-sensei. You're a pretty good guy, you know."

"…I appreciate it." Iruka gave his eyes a roll before continuing on.

"Hey…" Sushi gave Daichou a nudge, whispering under his breath. Michino shot him a look, holding a finger over her lips to silence him. He stuck out his tongue, wrapping an arm around her neck to pull her closer so she could hear him. "Listen up guys. We're gonna call ourselves Mikyodai! Sounds pretty cool, I thought of it last night."

"Where does the "kyo" come from?" Daichou whispered back. Sushi pulled his ear painfully.

"My name, you nimrod! Kyotsushika isn't that hard to say, you know. I'm tired of being nicknamed after something I don't even like."

"But Sushi is delicious…" Michino quietly interjected.

"Hah, you don't have to tell me. I know I am." Sushi let the two of them go, placing his hands in his pockets as he watched Iruka call forth the remainder of the ninja. "Looks like bigmouth's almost done."

"Now that each of you have been assigned to your group, you will meet with your teachers soon. The locations have been pinpointed on the map on the blackboard, so take turns getting a good look of the meeting time and place. I want to wish you all good luck. And come back to see me!" He raised two fingers in preparation to vanish with a ninjustu, but paused. "By come back, I mean VISIT! Don't get stripped of your rank on your first day, understood?!"

There were nervous chuckles as he disappeared. Everyone flocked to the map, trying to find their names and locations. Karane Morino pushed her way through impatiently.

"Out of the way, I can't be late! I've got to be early so I can set up some traps!" She ran out of the group after getting a look, grabbing Heiki and Hanashi by the sleeves. "All right, we're at the western half of the training field! I know a shortcut through some old sewers, let's get going!"

"Sewers?!" The males echoed as they followed their teammate out, having no choice but to do so.

"Want to go check it, team leader?" Kimochi crossed her arms, giving Yunagi a challenging smile. The young Uchiha felt a lump in his throat; was she mocking him already?

"Iruka-sensei said I might have potential, he didn't say-…"

"Come on, you can be the leader! At least until I learn an awesome new jutsu! We can both go check it out!" Jun slapped Yunagi lightly on the back, pulling him over to the map.

"You're… seriously alright with calling me the leader before we even have a chance to train?" Yunagi was unnerved by the idea of being the front-man for the team, but Jun gave a lighthearted laugh.

"Hey, don't stress it! There can only be one leader. Besides, if I was the leader, Kimochi would just pick on me even more, right?"

"You don't get it, no one ever said that I was the leade-…"

Jun interrupted, pointing at the map. "Check it out, we're supposed to meet up on the roof of the building by the Konoha Oak!" The Konoha Oak was an ancient tree that was planted atop the Ninja Academy nearly fifty years ago; it wasn't even an oak tree, but its resilience led most of the students to call it an oak. This was a favorite spot of Yunagi; being a loner, he often ate his lunch under the tree, staring up at the wall bearing the faces of the Hokage that had led the village. The company of the faces was preferable to the loud ninja-in-training in the cafeteria. "Fifteen minutes, 'ttebayo, we've got to be up there in fifteen minutes!"

"What on earth? We're supposed to meet here, right now?" Tsurigane Shijima, an older student who had had the luck of being placed on a team with her boyfriend Ushiro Arekuu and the quiet but skilled Shojiru Yuuhi, let out a bloodcurdling scream as a green clad figure appeared in a plume of smoke.

"The time has come for us to finally meet, my new students!" An impossibly loud voice boomed as the man struck a silly pose. Yunagi, Kimochi, and Jun exchanged a fearful glance and fled the room, charging for the stairs up to the roof.

"Do you think… that was Lee-san?" Yunagi looked over to Jun. Being Neji's nephew, he had heard many stories of the adventures of his uncle and his former team. Hearing about the man known as Might Guy sounded exhausting, but apparently Rock Lee was just as energetic.

"Phew… Hahah, I think it was! This means that we don't have him, awesome!" Jun pumped a fist in the air, however Kimochi looked upset.

"Guess that means we have someone else," She pondered. "Oh, I sincerely hope it isn't a woman. I just can't deal with other girls."

"Not surprised you repel people of your gender." Jun meant to mumble it, but Kimochi caught it. She lunged at him, raising a fist to punch him in the face.

"Hey, cut it out!" Yunagi pushed her hand away, shoving Jun backwards. "Guys, we're about to meet our sensei. Don't you want to make a good impression?"

"Hmph, looks like you're pretending to be the leader already." Kimochi crossed her arms again, turning her brown orbs up towards the stone faces of the Hokage. "I wish I was still working with Sai-sama. This teamwork silliness is pointless."

"Working with who?" Jun crawled onto his knees, placing his hands on his thighs as his bright green eyes blinked at her. "Is that why you left class and then came back? Have you already been trained?"

"I bet you'd like to know." She tipped him a troublesome wink, causing the boy to pout.

"Hey, no need for secrets! We three are gonna be best friends from now on!" Jun argued.

"Haha, wow! What gave you that idea? We don't have to be friends! We can just play our parts. I wouldn't want to be friends with a spoiled Hokage's son such as you."

"We can work without her, Jun. I will take my training seriously, but we have to work together." Yunagi sat down on the steps, folding his hands. His heart was thundering in his chest; waiting was the hardest part of anything. Weren't the other two the least bit nervous? Was it even normal to be this worried?

"I sense someone." Kimochi ignored Yunagi and jumped to her feet. The three stared forward, expecting a plume of smoke and a loud, flashy entrance like Rock Lee had given his students. Their focus was intense, only broken by a haughty female tone spat from behind them.

"What on earth is so interesting over there?" The three whipped around, coming face to face with a woman not too much taller than they were. She wore a blue-gray kimono top over tan pants that were tucked into tall black boots. Her hair, a silvery-blonde color, was tied back in a neat, low ponytail.

"We're just waiting for our sensei, ma'am!" Jun rubbed the back of his head, giving a laugh. "She's supposed to be here pretty much right now."

"Ah." She slowly blinked, crossing her arms. "So you three are my students. Before we begin any introductions, I want you to know that I still have 37 seconds until the designated time. I will never once be late, and I expect the same from you three."

"Wait, wait!" Jun shook his head; she just showed up and started bossing them around like she knew them already! "Can we make sure you're our teacher first?"

"I am 100% positive that I am your teacher. My calculations are never incorrect, I double checked six times. However if you don't believe me, I can check my folder." She produced a manila envelope from underneath the oba of her top, flipping it open. As she did so, the three took the pause to stare at her. Kimochi looked offended; they -did- have a woman as a teacher, and a short one at that. Jun was already excited at the idea of meeting a new person, but Yunagi had his faced screwed in confusion, not sure how to feel. His gut was twisted from fear of the fact that he was now a true genin. He wasn't sure this woman would be able to train him in the skills he needed.

"Jun Uzumaki." She called, looking at the blonde. He gave a bounce, unable to hide his smile.

"Yes ma'am!?"

"Introduce yourself. Tell me three facts that I don't already know, and tell me your goal as a shinobi. Now."

Jun blanched for a moment, but then shook his head. "My name is Jun Uzumaki-Haruno, son of the Sixth Hokage! My goal is to help my dad become the best Hokage ever, and to maybe become his bodyguard! Three facts… um… I like reading books! And I really like jumping on trampolines! And-… uh, my favorite food is sweet bean soup!"

"Good. Next, Yunagi Uchiha." She nodded at the raven-haired male, who seemed at a loss.

"I'm Yunagi Uchiha, a genin. My goal is just… to be strong for now. Strong enough to help my father out more. My favorite ninja tool is senbon because they're easy to throw and don't cause too much pain. My favorite jutsu is the Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu, which my dad used to be able to do. I want to learn it some day! And as for a hobby, I like practicing sealing calligraphy on scrolls. None of them work, but it's still fun to try and make seals."

"Wow, you sure did become chatty." Kimochi gave him a cat-like smile. He glared back, his face red in embarrassment.

"Lastly, Kimochi. I have no information on your clan name, but go ahead."

"I'm Kimochi, former sub-root trainee. That is all." The woman gave her an annoyed look, but she said nothing else.

"Your turn, sensei!" Jun bounced, sitting down on the edge of a step.

"Of course. I am Kubomi Shibata. I inherited my uncle's estate here in Konoha, though our clan originally came from the Land of Iron. I graduated third in my class, two years behind the class that the famous Sixth Hokage was part of. My forefathers were trained as samurai and not ninja, but that changed about two generations ago when there was a falling out. I personally believe in the samurai diction of training and behaviorism."

"A samurai-ninja crossbreed?" Yunagi seemed surprised, but Kimochi snickered.

"A mutt."

No way, not a mutt! Kubomi-sensei, you're a SAMUNJA!" Jun bounced once more, holding his stomach as he laughed. Yunagi let out a groan as he face-palmed, muttering about his teammate under his breath. Kubomi's frown had snuck up into a half-cocked little smile, however.

"A… a Samunja… I suppose that works, I like the sound of that." She chuckled lightly, shaking her head. Yunagi's eyes widened a little; he didn't expect her to be amused by something so simple. "Anyways, today we won't be doing anything, but tomorrow morning I expect you to meet at the training field by 6:00 am sharp. If you're late, I'll make you sweep my entire house, top to bottom. If you don't sweep the roof, you get to mop everything."

'_Huh, wait a minute! Is she our teacher or our employer? What's this sweeping all about?_' Yunagi gave a disappointed glare up at her, which Kubomi caught and returned.

"Is there a problem, young Uchiha-san?" Though she was speaking to Yunagi, Jun was the one who blurted a response.

"Wait! We hardly got to know each other, Kubomi-sensei! I hardly even got to learn to say your name right! Can't we have just one training exercise? We can spar!" Jun's intrusion ignited Yunagi to voice his complaints.

"He has a point, we've waited years to finally be placed in a team and it's still pretty early in the morning! All of our training has led up to a ten minute introduction? Please, let us do a D-rank mission! Let's-… maybe practice some basic jutsu!"

"Shut up." Kimochi stood up and stretched, letting out a yawn. "We're going to be working with this woman until we rank up, which can take anywhere from a year to-… in some cases, the rest of our lives. Yes, some ninja do stay genin for the rest of their lives. You'll have plenty of time to get to know her then! But I'm out of here." She turned her back and gave a wave over her shoulder, her red curls bouncing in the breeze.

"Hold on." Kubomi spoke, folding her arms under the long sleeves of her top. "Kimochi, sit back down." With a roll of her chocolate colored orbs, the girl sat back down, letting out a sigh. Steely-blue eyes swept over each one of them. One determined face, one annoyed face, and one excited face looked back. "Introducing each other was all I had on my agenda for today. I have every day planned out, down to the very minute. It's written in ink, meaning that it can't be changed or erased. That is how I do my work, and I expect my students to be just as reliable and accurate as permanent ink is. I wanted you to sleep on this meeting; the faces, the words, the introductions. I wanted you to use it for tomorrow. You aren't ready for a D-rank mission yet, Uchiha-san."

'_Not ready yet?_' Yunagi flushed in embarrassment. "But sensei, you don't know that yet. We haven't shown you what we're capable of!"

"You've shown me that you aren't capable of holding your tongue or respecting your elders. Uzumaki-san, you've shown me that you have too much energy and aren't mature enough to understand the importance of scheduling yet. And Kimochi-…" Kubomi leveled a gaze on the girl, who stared back with a general look of disinterest. The teacher's eyebrow jumped in annoyance. "You lack any will to cooperate or attempt to get along with your teammates. You're the worst off. I'm presuming that Uchiha-san is the only one with any possible chance of having his manners salvaged."

Yunagi reddened as the other two gave him judgmental looks, labeling him as teacher's pet already. There was a moment of silence as the three stared down; it was broken by Jun standing to his feet and giving a slight bow.

"I'm really sorry that I made a bad impression on you already, Kubomi-sensei. I promised my Dad and Ma that I'd do a really good job today, and I fudged it big time. Can you forgive me so I can train with a clear conscious tomorrow, huh?"

Kubomi placed a hand under her chin, keeping her mouth in a tight frown to prevent herself from smiling. "Well, I suppose your Samunja comment was enlightening. I forgive you, Uzumaki-san."

"Hey!" He placed his hands behind his back, cocking his head. "We're just kids, you don't have to talk so respectfully, ya know?" His apology done, Jun was right back to being his chipper self.

"In my household, it's something we were taught to do. You're dismissed."

* * *

"So I'm supposed to have the up and coming Ino-Shika-Chou, the greatest combination known to Konoha, right? Get this!" Kiba Inuzuka stopped talking long enough to shove a chip in his mouth, tossing one to Akamaru without even looking. The great beast caught it easily, wagging his tail. "I asked Hana-neesan to release her dogs on 'em. You know, just to scare them and see how they work as a team."

"Are you sure that was a good idea?" Rock Lee rubbed his chin, leaning against a tree. The four new teachers had gathered by the great gate; Sakura had asked them to meet there after they were finished for the day so she could discuss something with them.

"Well hell, I thought it was! Anyways, instead of workin' together, Shikamaru's lazy brat crawled up in a tree, fat kid jumped in front of his sister, and she started cryin' because-… get this! She's afraid of DOGS!" Kiba let out a loud laugh, choking on his food.

"Sounds like you weren't given much to work with." Shino crossed his arms, narrowing his eyes behind his glasses. "My three are hopeless. Karane Morino is a loudmouth who believes that she is the leader. Heiki Hyuuga seems to think the same thing, but he prefers to bully instead of using his voice to get his way. As for Hanashi Hatake, he managed to poison himself with a few senbon that he borrowed from his mother. A lost cause…"

"You are both being too negative! Our students need us to grow, we were the same when we started out! Right, Shibata-san? Surely your team is coming together already! You are tops in organization!" Lee turned his large eyes to the only female, who had been silently pondering over her handheld calendar.

"What? Oh, yes, coming together." She nodded, staring back down at her notes as Lee began to enthusiastically recount his own youthful students.

"You have the Hokage's son; that must be nice." Shino uttered, but it seemed Kubomi wasn't listening. He plucked her notebook from her hands. "At least he knows how a ninja should behave. What is… 'Wednen topple gaff'? Your handwriting is atrocious…"

She snatched it back, tucking the notebook away in her leg pouch. "Wednesday training: topple and grapple. And you'd be surprised, he's just a child. The most innocent of the three, I take it."

"Few things surprise me. Though, I admit I'm surprised that you've already planned until Wednesday. What if something were to happen to throw you off schedule?"

"Nonsense." She looked up, her tone slightly cross. "If there is interference, I will clear it as soon as possible and continue with my plans. Besides Aburame-san, aren't you a control freak yourself? Don't challenge my plans. When is Haruno-sama supposed to meet us here?" The other two shrugged simultaneously, Akamaru letting out a light whimper.

"Rumor's goin' around that some group is threatening the Leaf. Nothing like the Akatsuki, but maybe that's why she called us here." Kiba held up his hands to signify that he was just throwing out a guess to make small talk, but Lee looked upset.

"I haven't heard anything like that. A threat against the Hidden Leaf? From where?"

Shino spoke up quickly, as if he had been waiting for the subject to rear its head. "Well... I'm starting to believe that our selection was not something simple as I first imagined it was. Because… after thinking it over, I realized that we have unique skills that work even without conjunction with our former teammates."

"Where is the threat from?" Lee's hands balled into fists, causing Kiba to groan.

"Cool it, it was just a handful of grunts, taken out in no time! It's nothing to get all fired up over, Lee! You're exhausting."

"That is precisely why I believe that we were chosen. You see, we Aburame are known for following and extracting chakra which can be studied by Shizune-sama and Tsunade-sama. Kiba's tracking skills are unparalleled, and Lee, you're known as the ninja with the best endurance. Even the Hokage admits you could outrun him. However, Naruto-san doesn't even know Shibata-san on a person level, nor has he ever communicated with her. Yet she is here. Why?"

"Because-…" Kiba rolled his eyes as he tried to think, but Shino interrupted.

"Why? Because... This threat was traced to the Land of Iron. Out of the entire populous, Shibata-san is the only one with roots in the Land of Iron besides the occasional visitor or tourist. We're expected not only to train a team, but to train -as- a team of our own and gather intel."

"You're jumping to conclusions." Kubomi dropped her respectful tone. "That's absurd! Regardless of my "roots," I haven't lived there since I was a child. The people were always kind, and samurai wouldn't dare attack the Leaf, not after the war!"

"Where did you go when you left the Leaf during the war? You didn't participate. So where were you?" Shino's eyebrows lowered as he turned a hidden glare to her, obscured by his dark lenses. She opened her mouth to speak, then closed it again.

"I -…"

"When did you last visit the Land of Iron?"

"Shino-san, I think that's enough! It does seem to click, but you really are making up your own answers!" Lee felt bad for the poor woman. "Shibata-san's life is not our business, everything will be fine!"

"I'm just preparing you; I'm sure Sakura-san will be asking you the same things. You were given your particular students so that you would be closer to the Hokage. So he could keep an eye on you while we deal with this threat. You'll be expected to help us navigate and provide information about the land. Minor as it may be, answers mean everything." There was quite a moment of silence as Kubomi continued staring at the ground.

Kiba let out a low whistle as he sat down on the ground, an arm thrown over Akamaru. "Damn, Shino. Now that you say it like that, it really does make some sense. But Naruto said that it was over with, they just wanted to find the source." His animalistic eyes flickered over to Kubomi, and then they widened. "Hey, woman, do you think that they think you-…"

"No." Shino interrupted. "They just want answers, and that is all. Shibata-san is not to be accused of anything."

"It sure sounded like that's what you were doin', but alright. I'm game. We'll just listen to what Sakura's got to say and go from there, right? Yo, Shino, how come you know so much about uh-…" Kiba scratched his head, trying to remember Kubomi's name.

"There are things I know about everyone that you couldn't even begin to imagine. Listening pays off incredibly well. Hear, but don't speak. You'll be trusted if you can keep a secret." Kiba wasn't amused by his friend's cryptic words.

"Amazing!" Lee's enthusiasm was back full force. "You're to be admired, Shino-san! I would like to be trusted like that! From now on, everyone can come to me with anything!"

"Hm." Shino just gave a nod, acknowledging the praise with a tinge of pride.

"Heads up, here she comes." Kiba nodded in the direction of the approaching pinkette, causing the others to stand to attention.

Much to the motley crew's surprise and disdain, Shino had been spot on.

* * *

Ibiki Morino clicked on a lamp, revealing one of the three black-clad ninja that Naruto had apprehended. This one's face was thin and had sharp features, obscured by shadows cast by the weak lighting. "It's been a few days. You're the only one left. If you talk, we have no qualms about feeding you and letting you go." The lead interrogator expected the ninja to shake his head as he had been doing, but this time cracked lips parted, whispering something.

"Wah-wa..-ter…" The voice broke into dry coughs, and Ibiki motioned one of the ANBU stationed by the door over.

"Bring water, he's ready." There was a curt nod from the mask-clad figure, who brought back a bottle. Ibiki let his prisoner drink, wiping spit from his face as the captive choked on the liquid.

"Thank… thank you."

"No need. Now, I want you to answer my questions." Ibiki stood back, sitting the water down before releasing the hand restraints on the young male. _'They always get polite when they give in. They hope they can make a friend with us, since they're betraying their side._'

"Yes sir." The lad, hardly old enough to be in his twenties, rubbed his wrists. "I'll tell you anything, as long as you protect me."

"We'll do everything we can, but you must understand that there is protocol." He motioned at a stack of papers, and another ANBU picked them up while the one who brought the water prepared the speaker system. He handed Ibiki a small black box, which he could use to take side notes while he questioned the man.

"Are my friends alive?"

"We're asking the questions, you will have time when it's over. Interrogation beginning at 13:43 on Sunday, May 2nd. Captive is young male. Tell me, how were you affiliated with the two that were captured with you?"

"They were… my former teammates. We were a three man team of shinobi, chuunin rank."

"Why did you choose to attack the Hidden Leaf Village. Are you aware that our security is second strongest in the ninja world?"

"Yes sir, we knew." A crack could be heard in the voice, which Ibiki noted on his personal recorder.

"What were your intentions?"

"We were told-… we were told that our mission was to bring back the body of a Hidden Leaf ninja. Any ninja. So the three of us, we just attacked where we thought we could get in. We had to plan it ourselves, there was no real strategy."

"Tell me your affiliation."

"I don't know anymore-… there's a man. A man with a group, he's so strong that he," tears and sweat mingled on the man's forehead as his throat hitched. "We were training with our sensei, just training. We never did anything bad, I promise. We never wanted to get in trouble. A man walked over, literally came over to us…"

"Calm down and speak clearly." Ibiki calmly intruded, and the boy nodded his head in understanding.

"He grabbed our sensei's head, just with two hands, I thought he was going to kiss him when I saw it, I was thinking about how weird it was how close he got. Maybe he whispered. He just twisted, and he pulled. He tore his head off. It doesn't sound real, but I promise, I saw it with my own two eyes. He was so skinny and weak, but he really did it." The male's voice came out with a nervous giggle that bordered a sob.

"And then he approached you?"

More nodding. "With our sensei's head, he came over to us and told us that he needed a favor. He said he needed ninja from all over, and he wanted us to help. Since he had-… killed our sensei, he didn't need to kill us. Only one from each place, he said."

"Have you ever killed before?"

"No, never!" The boy pulled against his chest restraints. "We're chuunin, we know how to kill, but no one has ever brought it to that point. I could never kill someone the way that man killed… that's how he always killed, we saw it many times. He doesn't use weapons, he just tears them."

"Tell me about this group."

"I…" His breathing was labored again, and he needed water. "They were just like us. They followed out of fear, but we saw one attack him once. It ended just like with our sensei. He must have fifty at this point. I don't know where they're all from, I don't remember faces. I can't think of any faces. Why can't I think of the man's name?" Skinny hands began pulling at his short, wiry hair, and he curled up in his chair as Ibiki looked over to the ANBU that was taking notes. The ANBU officer gave a nod, and Ibiki solemnly did the same.

_'I'll have to pull every file on anyone that fits this description. It sounds like a terrorist group; fear has indeed sunken deep into this kid. I don't believe he will be of any use._' Regardless, Ibiki continued.

"What was his motive?"

"I can't remember, I'm not allowed to remember…"

"You need to remember, if you want a chance at getting out of here." Ibiki's tone grew rough as he spoke up. "Tell me his name, tell me his face. Tell me his motive, and his location."

"Nameless, and faceless. He has, no, four children? Children of his own. He's everywhere all the time, only in the blue. He stays where it's blue, but he can move on his own." Senseless babbling began to spew from the male's mouth as his fingertips dug into his scalp, cutting small sores amongst his dirty hair. "He likes the snow because it keeps the smell away. Too cold to smell."

"Enough." Ibiki hung his head, beckoning at an officer to come closer. "Sedate him, admit him to the hospital. He's suppressing the memories, either out of fear or shock. We'll get him fed, get him a room underground, and work with him more. Wrap up that tape and sent it straight to Tsunade-sama."

"Sir, do you think it's something we should be worried about?"An ANBU approached the captive with a syringe, gently putting him out of his sobbing, filthy misery for a while.

"Believe it or not, this rambling and these threats aren't something new to me. I see cases like this all the time. Until we can get a motive out of this person, we're not change anything. Our village is well protected and ready for disaster. If we discover anything later on, we'll prepare as needed." Being around as long as he had, there weren't many things Ibiki hadn't seen. He heaved a deep sigh and rubbed his scarred face, deciding right then that he would most likely need a nice, long drink to get through this evening.

* * *

**A/N: **_Thoughts, comments, suggestions? Likes, dislikes? Questions? Drop me a review please! _


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